A SENIOR politician has accused West Midlands Police of "serious misjudgment" over the way it complained about a TV documentary exposing extremism in mosques, including one in Birmingham.

A SENIOR politician has accused West Midlands Police of "serious misjudgment" over the way it complained about a TV documentary exposing extremism in mosques.

TV watchdog Ofcom yesterday rejected complaints from the force about the way the Dispatches: Undercover Mosque programme had been edited.

Channel Four accused police of "staggering naivety" over the issue.

And Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said the decision to complain to Ofcom "raises wider issues" for policing.

He said: "Once they were clear no criminal offence had been committed, it was in my view a serious misjudgment to continue to pursue the editorial team and risked impeding freedom of speech."The Dispatches programme raised matters of wide public interest, touching on security and community relations.

"Having been advised that no criminal charges should be brought, there was no cause for a police complaint to Ofcom.

"That decision drew the police into scrutinising editorial decisions of a television producer, which is not an appropriate law enforcement function and risks deterring legitimate investigative journalism."

Liberal Democrat culture, media and sport spokesman Don Foster has written to West Midlands Police over the matter.

Mr Foster said: "This whole case raises serious questions about West Midlands Police and the CPS in what appears to be an attempt to censor television, stifle investigative journalism and inhibit open debate."

Police complaints to Ofcom followed a "thorough" investigation, costing £14,000, which originally looked into the comments of those on the documentary, which featured undercover recordings made in a number of Birmingham mosques.

West Midlands Assistant Chief Constable David Shaw defended the decision to refer their concerns to Ofcom and said it was usual practice to contact regulatory bodies.

He said: "It was felt that there were matters within the programme which may have been issues relevant to Ofcom."

He added: "Personally and professionally I found some of the things said in the programme were morally repugnant. We do not align ourselves with comments like that.

"If you have any doubts on our stance around terrorism, at the time of this investigation I was the head of the Counter Terrorism Unit. You will not find anyone more determined to catch people out to commit that sort of crime.

"This wasn't about trying to appease anyone trying to show even-handedness. It was not about being popular, it was about doing the right thing. I have not lost a minute's sleep. What I worry about is the nature of the threat out there."

The force was also backed by the Muslim Council of Britain.

Assistant Secretary Tahir Alam said: "I think the police acted responsibly by investigating within the current context. Yes, there is freedom of the press, but that is no reason to target a select community in this way."